Definition

1. Verb:
   • To fluff, to become fluffy/fuzzy: Refers to the process where fabric, yarn, or material develops small loose fibers or balls on its surface, often due to wear, washing, or friction. It describes the state of a textile becoming pilly or fuzzy.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Áo len mới mua đã bắt đầu sổ lông. (The newly bought sweater has started to fluff/become fuzzy.)
  • Vải này dễ sổ lông lắm, giặt phải cẩn thận. (This fabric fluffs easily, you must wash it carefully.)
  • Sau vài lần mặc, gấu áo khoác bị sổ lông. (After a few wears, the hem of the jacket became fluffy/pilled.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị sổ lông" / "hay sổ lông": These are common collocations meaning "to be prone to pilling/fluffing" or "to have pilled."
  • Loại vải rẻ tiền thường hay sổ lông. (Cheap fabrics often tend to pill.)
• Describing the result: The state after "sổ lông" can be described as "bị xù lông" or "có những cục lông tơi" (to have loose fiber balls).

Variants and Related Words

• Sổ (verb): Generally means to come loose, untie, or unravel (e.g., - for a button to come undone). In "sổ lông," it specifically means fibers coming loose.
• Lông (noun): Means fur, hair, or fuzz. Here, it refers to the short, loose fibers.
• Xù lông (verb phrase): To be frizzy or fluffy (often used for hair or fur). It describes a similar fuzzy state but can be more general.
• Tróc (verb): To peel or flake off (used for paint, skin). It is different as it refers to layers separating, not fibers loosening.

Synonyms

• Bị xù (to become frizzy/fluffy): Can be used in similar contexts for textiles or hair.
• Nổi bông (to pill/to form pills): A more specific synonym focusing on the formation of fiber balls.
• Bị phai màu và sổ lông (to fade and pill): A common phrase describing fabric wear.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• (Vải) không bị sổ lông: (Fabric) does not pill/is pill-resistant. This is a desirable quality often mentioned in product descriptions.
  • Chiếc áo này được quảng cáo là không bị sổ lông. (This shirt is advertised as pill-resistant.)

Notes on Meaning

• "Sổ lông" is primarily used for textiles and fabrics (clothing, blankets, upholstery). It is not typically used for animal fur or human hair becoming messy, for which "xù lông" or "bù xù" is more common.
• The concept is equivalent to "pilling" in English, where small balls of fiber form on the surface. The verb "sổ lông" describes the process leading to that state.

verb

1. to fluff